


home is where the misfits are

by flowerpains (honeyslice)



Category: Disgaea 5: Alliance of Vengeance
Genre: Canon Compliant, Canon-Typical Violence, Dimension Travel, Domestic, Fluff and Crack, Gen, Post-Canon, everyone is gay if you care to squint, this is just an indulgent au for my precious bro who loves d5 with all their heart
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-07-26
Updated: 2016-07-26
Packaged: 2019-06-16 12:15:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 10,072
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15436839
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/honeyslice/pseuds/flowerpains
Summary: What should have been a neat line is currently a demonic little crowd, bickering and trampling itself while Killia and Lieze defend their pot and finish the last of today’s cooking. It’s curry and Usalia will not settle for anything other than the first bowl—neither will anyone else, but the chaos is put hold when Lieze says,“Why don’t we visit the humans’ world?”





	1. to humanity and beyond (but not really)

**Author's Note:**

> Happy Birthday to my best lil bro! This year, last year, and every year until this au is finished and I have to come up with something new to write for you!

What should have been a neat line is currently a demonic little crowd, bickering and trampling itself while Killia and Lieze defend their pot and finish the last of today’s cooking. It’s curry and Usalia will not settle for anything other than the first bowl—neither will anyone else, but the chaos is put hold when Lieze says, “Why don’t we visit the humans’ world?”

Everyone quiets. Killia gives Usalia the first serving of curry while everyone else shifts the topic of their bickering: Red Magnus yells about how gross humans are while Zeroken yells over him about the gross things humans do until Seraphina gets annoyed and shoots them both into a wall.

Lieze’s smile crumples under her regret until Christo says, “I don’t think it’s a bad idea.”

Seraphina spins on her heels, hands on her guns on her hips, “Really?” She moves her fingers off the triggers and Usalia sighs in relief. Or satisfaction, she’s enjoying her second serving of curry courtesy one Killia.

Christo looks at Lieze and she brings her hands together, fiddling with her fingers though her smile returns with a careful cheer. “It’ll be good for us to go somewhere new for a change. I think the Netherworld is giving us all cabin fever.” She visibly resists looking at Seraphina, eventually giving in to the urge, and Zeroken doubles over in pained laughter.

For a moment Seraphina looks offended, she doesn’t even bother shooting Zeroken for his _rudeness,_ and Lieze seems to lose whatever speech she had prepared to explain her case so Killia says, “It could be fun.”

In that instant Seraphina puts her guns away, shock forgotten as she raises a hand to her mouth and laughs, “Well! If you say so, Sir Killia, then we’ll definitely go to the humans’ world!”

All Red Magnus’ attempts to protest are met with a mouthful of bullets as he crashes through another wall, and the moment Seraphina sets her glare on Zeroken his hands fly up in surrender.

Killia pulls Red Magnus back into the room and rests a bowl of curry near his head, successfully luring both hunger and consciousness to settle in his body, while Usalia assents to the outings around a mouthful of curry.

Overall, there’s a unanimous (and forced) agreement to go to the human world.

 

* * *

 

There are many preparations to make before leaving the Netherworld. They are (most of them) Overlords after all so there’s endless delegating and scheduling reports and nagging Christo to be their eyes and ears both within and without the Netherworlds.

Christo agrees, mostly to get them off his back (literally, at some point Usalia jumped onto his back and he knew the only way out was yes), and with that final precaution they tear a path through space to the humans’ world.

When they first arrive they stand out like neon lights in a dark alley. Seraphina and Christo immediately start on recon, research, and everything in between.

Within the hour Christo relays what _not_ to do while Seraphina drags them through a large mall, stopping in each and every store in search of clothes that suit and camouflage them.

Seraphina and Christo are the experts, the fearless leaders dragging and concealing their hopeless demon compatriots through the city of humans, laughing off questions about ‘the big red guy with the unicorn horn’, ‘the little bunny girl’, ‘the werewolf child’; the list only grows with every store they visit.

Seraphina manages to stamp down her annoyance in favour of saving her allies’ hopeless asses, Zeroken makes faces at anyone who looks at them funny, and everyone else ignores them for the most part.

That was after ten minutes.

Two hours later they’re sick of the questions and stares despite wearing ‘normal’ clothes. They stampede out the mall (without paying for half the things Zeroken stuffed into his pockets) and duck into an alleyway. It’s crowded but that’s because everyone insists on forming a tight circle between an oversized dumpster and dirty, broken appliances haphazardly lining the other wall.

“We stand out too much!” Seraphina announces into the small space between them all and it’s true. Despite their new wardrobe, there are some things they can't hide with clothes.

Their horns and ears, for example; Lieze’s tail wraps around her waist like a belt and Christo removes his (fake) horns, dropping them into one of Zeroken’s bags. Everyone but Usalia still purses their lips.

Lieze is unfazed as ever at first but the collective reaction makes her chortle. Killia sighs loudly, uncharacteristically, and plays it off again— _you have to stop letting yourself get so stressed_ —and Christo gladly plays along until the others feel too awkward to say anything else about it.

Though Christo’s ‘horns’ are removable, Killia’s scarf is as stuck to him as his scales are, there’s no hat big enough to cover Usalia’s rabbit-like ears, and Red Magnus’ horn is. Well. Seraphina stops trying to conceal it after the seventh try destroys all ten hats that were so carefully placed to conceal his stupid, ugly, dumbass-

“Stop insulting my horn!”

Every ploy only serves to draw even more attention to his horn—she quits.

Blending in is nigh impossible so they keep moving, roaming cities and countrysides. It’s easy because Earth isn’t like the Netherworld at all. It’s all connected and incredibly devoid of demons—save for a few malevolent spirits that they have no intention of crossing.

There are few random encounters, fewer yet end with violence, and even the violent encounters are mild—but humans can be frightening. They are as strong as they are weak and it’s a discovery that means nothing to them so they keep travelling until they come to a suburban area where everyone glances at them once then looks away, unbothered by their appearance.

As soon as Christo confirms the town is safe enough to settle in, Seraphina and Lieze immediately rent a house. It’s near the street corner with a nice lawn Lieze is excited to turn into a garden, and it looks like every other house on the street with its blue and white paint, which is irritating as all hell but Seraphina is so relieved she doesn’t have the will to complain.

Everyone else goes along with it because it seems like a good idea no matter how they look at it; the house is big enough and nice enough. It isn’t Seraphina’s pocket Netherworld but it’s something.

For the entire trip, from the Netherworld to their brand new suburban Earth house, Red Magnus, Zeroken, and Usalia have been looking around excitedly with Lieze who points out shops and plants and food.

Eventually, Killia follows them like these soft, little Earthling puppies while Seraphina and Christo work out the budgets, the food plans, and all the important details.

Halfway through Seraphina starts wailing, not only because of stress but because even Sir Killia has been lost to sightseeing!

At that point Usalia takes her and Christo by their hands and leads them on a walk with their little tour group, letting Seraphina walk beside Killia until wails soften to grumpy sniffles. Christo insists he was never stressed in the first place and Usalia laughs at the lie.

“Even demons work too hard,” Usalia says around a mouthful of cake, “you don’t want steam coming out of your ears, plip!” Seraphina laughs because she thinks steam really _was_ coming out her ears and Christo laughs because no matter who’s talking about what the conversation is always so absurd—

Why did he ever expect anything less (or more) of them?

 

* * *

 

It’s been two Earth months since they left the Netherworld.

Seraphina manages their money and Christo manages who does what. Killia and Lieze manage the food and the garden. Usalia keeps them all rational (to an extent), and Zeroken and Red Magnus...

Zeroken and Red Magnus—

“You two are as useless as a Titan’s baby toe!” Seraphina screeches, throwing her hands into the air and wailing to the ceiling—Christo almost thinks she’ll consider praying to God if she weren’t a proud demon Overlord. “What do you do? You don’t even help clean!”

“We’re good for stuff,” Zeroken huffs, crossing his arms so stiffly he looks like the punk kid Red Magnus had said he was when they first met in his skin-tight Earthling jeans and worn out band t-shirt, “just not the stuff you want.”

Seraphina smooths her dress into place, glancing over her shoulder to make sure Killia isn’t paying attention to her rage—she doesn’t think he is, he looks too busy playing hopscotch with Usalia and Lieze. Goddamn human games, how can they capture his attention so? “What are you good for, pray tell? Name one thing!”

“We’re super good at all kinds of things,” Red Magnus blurts when Zeroken falls silent. Seraphina turns her sharp gaze on him and he starts counting on his fingers. “There’s this and that, that and this, also this and these… and fighting!”

“All you said was fighting you useless musclehead!” Seraphina pulls out her gun and shoots him in the arm, but not through a wall because she doesn’t want to have it repaired.

She hasn’t shot him or Zeroken through a wall in two weeks, something they’re both grateful for but Seraphina really misses the Netherworld because of it.

Seraphina growls when he collapses against the wall, unaffected by the shot save for the tear in his shirt, and points a perfectly manicured finger between Red Magnus and Zeroken, “That’s it. If you two don’t have jobs by the end of the week, I’m kicking you both out!”

When her ultimatum sinks in they both scream and it’s the most pained sound Killia has heard since the war with the Lost—he loses his balance mid-hop and falls over.

Lieze and Usalia make sure he’s all right before Usalia starts cheering. Lieze and Seraphina applaud her while Christo digs through the fridge and eventually gives her a cup of vanilla ice cream. “Congratulations, Usalia. You beat Killia fair and square.”

Red Magnus harrumphs and sulks around the house for half an hour, only perking up when Killia lets him win at rock-paper-scissors. No one bothers pointing out that Killia let him win because he happily does chores and goes on most of their errands for the rest of the week.

It’s the little things.

 

* * *

 

In a perfect world everything works out regardless of the objections of the universe. Their adaptation, success, and progress all streamlined and untouchable.

Alas, this is not a perfect world. Just as their problems seem to smooth themselves out, _bigger pains in the ass sprout up to ruin everything._ That’s how Zeroken describes the past week.

It’s been almost one Earth year since they’ve come to Earth. They have a nice little house in a nice little town, just big enough to hold the seven of them if they share rooms: Seraphina, Usalia, and Lieze to the master bedroom, Killia and Christo to one bedroom, Zeroken and Red Magnus to the other. They’re all getting a taste of normal human life.

Only Lieze and Killia dare say it but it’s a damn nice life to lead, even if it won’t last forever. Honestly, they don’t want it to last forever; a peaceful, domestic eternity? Usalia thinks they’re better off endlessly defending the Netherworld’s peace, but she doesn't mind this because ‘it’s just a short vacation’.

The truth is: Usalia and Seraphina constantly have Christo check their Netherworlds with his clairvoyance, Usalia has her Prinny give her weekly reports on Toto Bunny’s status— _all’s well this time, too!_ —and she sneaks between the realms more than Zeroken does to continue training his students.

Red Magnus sneaks between the realms more than both of them, but everyone knows that so it hardly counts as sneaking.

The truth is: their minds can enjoy the simple drawl of the humans’ lifestyle, but their hearts remain in the Netherworld.

Still, they all like Earth well enough—Seraphina, Red Magnus, and Zeroken like it a little better than they did a year ago. They can bear the thought of humans without griping through immense disgust, they can stomach the uninspiring human food as long as Killia and Lieze cook it, and they can enjoy themselves in the human world as much as any human can on a good day.

Red Magnus found a job after all, not bad for a musclehead, even though it took him a week longer than Seraphina’s deadline: he helps with the construction of a community centre in the nearby town.

Killia thinks it’s a nice job and, even though Red Magnus was obviously flattered, he looked as red as usual so only Zeroken could successfully tease him (Red Magnus assumed everyone’s teasing was one big convoluted compliment because Lieze said they were all proud).

Both towns are sweet and green, open and kind, and no one asks any questions.

Zeroken does odd jobs around the neighbourhood when his students are off training on their own and he’s idle enough to think he has nothing better to do. The residents always tip him because he’s _so charming,_ whether he weeded all their gardens or delivered their mail.

Other times he helps Lieze and Killia in the garden, doing more good than harm and that’s always a weirdly nice sight. Seraphina lets him get away with it because he sort of did what he was told; odd jobs count as jobs, it’s in the phrase.

Killia helps out at the community soup kitchen and the orphanage when he isn’t running errands for Lieze or lending Red Magnus a helping hand whenever the opportunity arises (truthfully, Red Magnus just gets lonely sometimes, he’s gotten so used to them all).

Oddly enough, Killia seems to slink between the towns and jobs easily. Everyone just sort of lets him help them out and soon enough they’re sending gifts and food and he cooks extras to share whenever he’s in the mood.

Everyone except Lieze is bitter over that because it means they have to _share Killia’s food_ with even more people. But Killia seems happy so they grudgingly accept it. He’s always been a weirdo anyways.

Christo teaches literature and physics at the school Seraphina enrolled Usalia into and torments annoying children with piles of extra homework, especially if said children are dense enough to even think of making fun of Usalia’s ears—Usalia doesn’t seem to mind, but Christo minds a whole damn lot.

She makes him promise not to tell the others so he changes the situation until there’s nothing left to tell. Humans are far easier to keep in line than demons. Either way, he nips every threat in the bud with little effort. He’s good like that. Usalia peers at him for a long while and as thanks they go out for ice-cream on Saturday.

Seraphina doesn’t tell them what job she’s gotten, even when they find out she’s landed a steady 9 to 5 office job.

“You really have changed!” Then she shoots Zeroken into the street.

Lieze joins the neighbourhood association once her garden begins blooming. The association seems like an excuse to mingle and turn the entire town into a garden when they aren’t preparing festivals, but it’s a sickeningly sweet idea and Lieze seems fond of it so they help her out whenever she asks.

All in all, it’s weird how easily they fit in. Maybe that’s just how it is with humans. It’s as wonderful as wonderful can be, and it’s all ruined in an hour.

Lieze wants to go shopping with Usalia for ingredients and snacks so Killia offers to meet with the association in her stead.

Seraphina immediately jumps at the opportunity because to her it sounds like: alone time with Killia, at last! Lieze grins her thanks before she and Usalia go through all the convenience stores they can while Killia and Seraphina try not to seem too out of place at the meeting.

As usual, no one says anything or asks any invasive questions, and just when they think they’ve made it through successfully they see Void Dark and Majorita at the other side of the auditorium, sitting on the bleachers and chatting with Goldion and a small group of townsfolk.

They stop and stare for what feels like the longest while, waiting for an attack, for anything, but nothing happens. Eventually, they stop holding their breaths.

Eventually, they run all the way back home.

Christo uses his clairvoyance to gather information while everyone else loses their cool.

“He’s supposed to be super dead, wasn’t he?”

Zeroken throws himself against Red Magnus’ shoulder in an odd display of agreement. “Man, he was the most dead a dead demon can be!”

Christo barely moves, eyes unblinking around their all-seeing glow, but he slips into the conversation as he has grown so accustomed to, “A lot of demons who are supposed to be dead aren’t anymore.”

Killia stiffens, and Christo only notices it thanks to his clairvoyance, but everyone hears when Killa asks, “That’s not a bad thing, is it?”

No one seems to have a proper response so Christo answers honestly, “I’m not sure.”

Usalia, ever the saving grace, bounces right up to Christo’s side and chimes, “Usalia doesn’t think it’s a bad thing that Lieze and Goldion are alive, plip!”

It lightens the mood and Seraphina appreciates it, but she has other concerns she needs addressed. “You told Majorita to stay in the pocket dimension, right?”

“I told her to do whatever she wanted, plip!”

Oh, great. Seraphina really doesn’t like what that could mean. “In Majorita’s case that would be following Void Dark around, wouldn't it?”

“She didn't seem too happy to hear his name last time,” Killia supplies helpfully. While it does change Seraphina’s perspective, it doesn’t change what they saw with their own two demon eyes.

“She was really angry with him, plip!”

“Betrayal is a fair reason to be angry.” As calm as he sounds, Killia bristles around the statement.

Zeroken is quick to jump from Red Magnus’ side to Killia’s, visibly fretting over what to say next. “Maybe she’s plotting her revenge!”

“Even undead, I think it’s super likely for that damn brat.” Doesn’t Red Magnus know that adding anger to an already anger-charged atmosphere is _super bad?_

“Everyone,” Christo calls over the confused noise, “I have some idea about what happened.”

Lieze steps out of the agitated demon crowd. “Is it the same as what happened with my father?”

“Well,” Christo shakes his head, “no. The magic that resurrected Goldion is completely different from the magic that resurrected Void Dark.”

“It’s not the same as Majorita’s reanimation curse,” Killia tries but when Christo barely chances a glance at him Killia steps forward and presses the issue, “is it?”

Christo adjusts his glasses and sighs, “I don’t know. The only way to tell would be—”

“If he’s being forced to do something he hates, plip.” Usalia would know best.

There’s a collective sigh, everyone drawing blanks for possible explanations until Lieze speaks up, “Where did you two say you saw my brother?”

“At the association meeting,” Seraphina replies.

“He was speaking with Goldion and the others,” Killia adds.

Lieze hums in thought, drawing her brows together in a frown, eventually snapping her fingers with an _aha!_ “He always hated family gatherings and festival preparations! He said it was all too ‘gushy’ for his taste.”

That clears up everything.

“So it isn’t like what happened to Master Goldion,” Zeroken sighs, relief evident as he slumps onto the floor.

“That means it was Majorita’s curse?”

Christo’s eyes finally dull into its regular pink. “It’s possible she cast it on him the same way she cast it on herself.”

Killa clicks his tongue and sighs. “Great.”

“Super great,” Red Magnus follows.

“Mega great.” Zeroken.

“Giga great.” Red Magnus.

“Ultra great!” Zeroken.

Seraphina pinches the bridge of her nose. “Please stop.”

And so their picture-perfect life was ruined due to the resurrected Leader of the Lost and the undead Witch who controls death sitting in on their weekly neighbourhood meeting.

Killia and Seraphina deeply regret going at all; Lieze puts extra effort into comforting them but they sulk for a week—everything Killia cooks that week has an underlying bitter taste and it works for the food but…

It’s a painful week for everyone.

 

* * *

 

The neighbourhood association has this ‘thing’ they do called ‘meet-and-greet’: they have their new members go door to door and introduce themselves to every household. Zeroken knows this well because when Lieze had to do it she took (forced) him and Usalia to go with her.

Usalia happily bounced out the door alongside Lieze and they bustled through the town excitedly, causing the already bright neighbourhood to dazzle Zeroken.

Zeroken had fun, too, he has to admit. It must have been because Lieze and Usalia are always great company or maybe the humans they acquainted themselves with were all around lovely to them.

Maybe it was just the weather and the ice-cream they bought from a street vendor in the afternoon when the meet-and-greet was done.

Bottom line is Zeroken knows about this so, in retrospect, he should _not_ have shrieked and slammed the door shut when the knock-knock-knocking on the front door turned out to be the ever-glowering pair of Void Dark and Majorita.

In his defence, it looked a lot like his worst nightmare.

Everyone comes rushing because Zeroken tends to scream that specific note under two very specific circumstances:  
1\. When Seraphina shoots him or  
2\. when there's danger.

Seraphina was happily helping Killia teach Usalia how to cook at the moment, her light-hearted gushing echoing through the house, so everyone knew she wasn’t in a shooting Zeroken and/or Red Magnus through a wall mood.

Naturally, they assume Zeroken’s shrill scream means danger. It still does as far as most of them are concerned.

They all rush over and cram themselves into the alcove linking the rest of the house to the front door to ask Zeroken what was wrong, Lieze checking him for injuries while everyone else scans the immediate area for threats.

Killia pushes the door open on a whim and finds both Void Dark and Majorita standing on their porch. Everyone gets a good long look at them—Void Dark standing as tall and menacing as he always has, even at the end, while Majorita shifts between scowling at his back and over Killia’s shoulder—then Killia slams the door shut.

They already knew he was in the neighbourhood but they never expected him to come to them.

A collective shriek rings through the house as chaos ensues.

Christo and Killia try for all of five seconds to be reasonable before they lapse into dark mumbling. Zeroken and Red Magnus grab each other, shove each other, and generally freak out. Usalia tries to soothe Seraphina’s quiet sobbing while Seraphina holds Usalia tightly in her arms and apologises for all sorts of things—Usalia pretends she doesn’t understand half of them because holy _wow_ Seraphina.

Lieze, however, is unfazed; as far as she is concerned Void is her brother and she is quite happy to see him alive with her own two eyes, so she opens the door with a smile and greets him with a tight hug. Everyone else keeps quiet at this point for Lieze’s sake.

“Void! How have you been?” Her eyes narrow despite her light tone and only Void Dark and Majorita can see it. “You won’t believe what I’ve been hearing about you. You have to update me!”

Surprisingly, Void Dark proceeds to do just that without much protest and witnessing such obedience from someone who single-handedly brought the Netherworld to its knees sends everyone into a shock they will never recover from.

“In short, everything you heard is true,” Void Dark finishes his narration, seated at the dining table beside Lieze. Zeroken sits beside her while Seraphina sits opposite him and beside Usalia who keeps a sharp eye on Majorita beside her.

Majorita does little more than swear under her breath and glower at Void Dark but she grudgingly accepts the food Killia offers her and mumbles between mouthfuls of food about wanting to strangle Void Dark and be free of Usalia and this curry is actually pretty good. Usalia doesn’t tell her who made it.

Christo sits at the head of the table and scans the area for threats; he’s been scanning for threats ever since Zeroken’s first scream. It’s starting to wear on him but one glance at Void Dark, just an arm’s length away from him, is enough to force him past any traces of fatigue—it’s more out of habit than fear, but he’s not taking any chances.

Red Magnus and Killia stand on opposite ends of the room, eyes fixed on Majorita and Void Dark respectively, waiting for even the slightest tell that either of them is planning anything. Better safe than sorry.

However, all the precaution seems wasted no matter how they look at it. Despite Void Dark’s shitty attitude, both on and off the power trip, he seems content to put up with their groaning and glaring him back to the Netherworld as long as his sister alive and safe. It makes them feel bad. Just a little bit.

It’s hard to forgive and forget everything he’s done; the Netherworld is still recovering from it even now.

“Void,” Lieze says, soft and comforting as she takes his hand in her own, “I’m grateful, but you’ve done terrible things.” He nods as though he’s known this and accepted it for aeons already. “You’ll have to make up for it.”

“I know,” he says with so much conviction everyone wonders at their instinct to draw away from him. He hardly moves, hardly seems to breathe, but he continues, “That’s why I’m here. I don’t want to be, just as much as they don’t want me to be,” he glances around the room, starting with Zeroken beside Lieze and sweeping his gaze in an arc through the room until he ends with Killia before turning back to Lieze, “but I know I have to repent. Even though I tried to ignore it like a child. The old man already explained it to me.” So that’s what Goldion was doing—they don’t know whether to be grateful or upset.

Lieze’s expression softens into a smile, warm and forgiving in the way only a sister could be, and when she hugs him tightly and says, “Welcome to the neighbourhood,” the tension colouring each and every action slowly, grudgingly, melts out of the room until it’s back to being as noisy as it should be.

It’s a subdued mirth, a controlled phenomenon, but it happens as naturally as it can because Lieze is one of them, a part of their misshapen _family,_ and if she thinks Void Dark and Majorita deserve a sliver of mercy, a glimmer of the light known as forgiveness, a dab of the pigment known as a second chance, then they’ll do their damnedest to give them one even if it takes millennia. Even if it takes aeons. Because, sadly, that’s what family does.

Hate them or love them, you have to learn to live with them.

But not in the same house—Seraphina makes it very clear that sleepovers are not an option.

At the very mention of a sleepover Usalia wails and Majorita dashes out of the house with her hands over her ears; Void Dark ends up in a three-way glaring contest with Killia and Red Magnus that almost ends in a fight until Seraphina shoots Red Magnus and Lieze scolds Killia and Void Dark in the nicest, most scathing way any of them have ever witnessed. It’s a sight to behold.

Void Dark and Majorita leave by midnight and everyone spirals into griping and whining—even Usalia can’t help wailing a few lines of complaint—while Lieze sneaks off to call Goldion.

“Everyone was less than thrilled, but they’re all kind-hearted deep inside so it worked out,” she says with a quiet, happy sigh into the receiver.

Seraphina knows eavesdropping is less than ladylike, but she can’t help it. She lurks in the hallway and checks her gun; she hates to admit it but she’s been tough on Lieze for a long while.

At first it was just jealousy but then it became a habit and now? Now she’s so used to Lieze being around, she’s so used to being in awe of her kindness even though they’re all supposed to be cutthroat demons… Seraphina slips back into the dining room and whacks Zeroken upside the head.

“Everyone! Who really wants to keep talking about Void Dark when anime hour is about to start?” That gets everyone to quiet down and in the next moment they’re all rushing into the living room and fighting for the remote.

Seraphina can’t forgive Void Dark, no one can, but they can at least try to give him a chance for Lieze’s sake.

Or they can pretend to, doesn’t matter either way.

“Thank you, Seraphina-san.” Lieze’s hand is feather-light on her shoulder and Seraphina almost pulls her gun on Lieze out of habit.

“Just ‘Seraphina’ is fine,” she says after a moment, embarrassed by her slip-up and all Lieze does is smile.

“Thanks, Seraphina.”

Everyone else starts clapping, having lost the remote and shushing each other just to listen in on Seraphina’s and Lieze’s conversation. Killia smiles like _thank you_ and _good job_ and Seraphina flushes bright in embarrassment.

This isn’t so bad—until Red Magnus and Zeroken start guffawing about how amazing it is that Seraphina is having a change of heart. At that point Seraphina shoots them both into the couch, the impact causing it to flip over and reveal the remote lying there.

Christo moves surreptitiously and tries to grab it but Usalia bounds ahead of him and snatches it, holding it up triumphantly, which makes it an easy target for Zeroken after he leaps off Red Magnus. He rebounds on the wall and the moment Zeroken holds it out to change the channel Killia grabs it from him and holds it above his head.

“The hell, bro? That’s not fair!” But Killia chuckles and holds it higher above his head.

Usalia and Zeroken concede defeat but Red Magnus grabs Killia by the waist and picks him up, holding him tightly so he can’t slip away, and Christo pulls a chair over and plucks the remote out of Killia’s grip.

Usalia and Zeroken make a wild jump for Christo who simply steps out of the way, leaving Usalia and Zeroken to crash into each other and wail about their bruised foreheads. Killia wriggles out of Red Magnus’ grip, whacking him on the head for restraining him, and Red Magnus apologises with a grin so wide he can’t be sincere.

Seraphina sighs, throwing herself onto the untouched loveseat, and Lieze sits beside her, laughing heartily. “Come on, guys! We’ll miss every show if you all keep fighting like this,” which really only causes them to fight even more and Seraphina gives up on all of them.

“Don’t worry, Seraphina,” Lieze says, her smile taking on a wicked edge and it’s the first time Seraphina has seen her look like the demon she is, “they’ll regret it all in the morning.” Seraphina swallows thickly and laughs despite herself. Really, every Saturday night can’t be like this.

Sunday morning comes too soon and everyone is complaining about bruises and headaches and having to watch the episode online because they missed it during the fight. Lieze just stirs the pancake batter, humming happily even as a sulky Killia helps her, and Seraphina should never have expected living with six other demons to be any sort of easy.

She’s going to try a little harder to stay on Lieze’s good side after all.


	2. kiss the hand that feeds

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's a boring Sunday, but it leads Killia to a conclusion he never thought he'd come to.

It’s a boring Sunday when Killia scours the kitchen for ingredients and finds they only have enough left for a few days’ worth of meals. Lieze laughs, “It’s only natural! We all have a size-”

“And _super muscles!_ ” Red Magnus yells from across the room.

“-to maintain after all,” Lieze finishes as though nothing and no one interrupted her at all. It’s just a little off-putting, but Seraphina laughs haughtily about the best demon needing the best food and that’s distraction enough from any unease Lieze’s serene smile inflicted.

Without missing a beat, Lieze volunteers to take care of breakfast and lunch with Usalia so Killia ends up grocery shopping.

Correction: Killia ends up grocery shopping with Red Magnus because the groceries are usually Red Magnus’ chore; Christo comes along to make sure they don’t get too distracted; and Seraphina comes along only to enforce the budget, which is her way of saying, “I’m so excited to shop with Sir Killia!”

So, instead of the usual Christo and Red Magnus shopping pair, it becomes a shopping quartet, which is fun in its own way.

Fun until Red Magnus and Seraphina get into an argument concerning the price and quality of certain products.

“We mustn’t spend excessively even on ingredients! Especially not on ingredients that are so _clearly_ subpar,” she huffs, refined as always, and Killia notes her trigger finger twitching near her hip. Christo sighs.

“You didn’t have a problem with these super ‘subpar’ ingredients all year!” Red Magnus folds his arms across his chest and turns his head away—Killia has come to know this as Red Magnus’ way of saying the conversation is over.

However, that hasn’t stopped Seraphina for centuries. “I didn’t know you were ravaging our budget in this manner!” Her hands are idling at her sides now, moving from her hips to her neck to her hair then back down, and Killia knows she’s really fighting the urge to shoot Red Magnus.

Typically, this is no problem, but right now? They’re in the middle of the only grocery in their little town, and right now the aisles are bustling with distracted families and loud children. So—this isn’t good.

Christo adjusts his glasses and glances at Killia—it’s a look that says ‘please do something because I'm not dealing with this.’ As a tag-along that inadvertently contributed to this nightmare, Killia supposes he doesn’t have much choice.

Besides, for an angel, Christo has such a chaotic mean streak it’s really no surprise he fits right into the Netherworld.

“Guys,” he says carefully, stepping into the space between them and gesturing for them to take a step back, “we didn’t come here to fight, right?”

They both press their lips together and look away with a huff; they really have known each other for a millennium too long.

“Seraphina can choose the ingredients she thinks would be best,” Red Magnus bristles and Killia puts a hand on his chest, quickly adding, “and if it doesn’t work out, we can buy Red Magnus’ ingredients next time.”

Seraphina and Red Magnus spend a good few seconds frowning at each other before agreeing, and when they do Christo’s relieved sigh is masked by the ringing of Seraphina’s laugh. “As expected, Sir Killia always makes fantastic decisions.”

Most times Killia doubts that but if it keeps the peace they spent so long trying to grasp, well… He can live with it.

Seraphina leads them through the grocery, scrutinising every product before putting ‘the chosen ones’ into the cart while Red Magnus grumbles under his breath. Christo tries to placate him but Killia leaves him be with a few reassuring pats to whichever muscle is closest whenever his grumbling gets a touch to irritated.

He just needs to get it out of his system.

Their errand takes two hours longer than usual thanks to Seraphina’s meticulous approach to every product on every aisle and Red Magnus makes a point of complaining about it. Killia’s legs ache from too much standing and not enough walking, and Christo actually uses a few healing spells every now and then.

It wasn’t the worst shopping trip ever—the shop wasn’t destroyed by the time they were done so that was a plus.

Red Magnus and Killia carry the bags of groceries while Seraphina and Christo walk ahead, working out what’s left of their money. It’s just a guess, but based on the bags being twice the usual amount, Killia dares to think they’ve bought more than usual even though they paid less than usual overall.

Red Magnus looks a little miffed about that so Killia bumps their shoulders together and spends the entire walk home coaxing him to let it go.

All in all, it’s a pretty average shopping trip: not too violent, a little too long, and fun even after Seraphina’s and Red Magnus’ little spat.

Killia glances at Christo and he looks a little stressed. Good thing his horns are already off.

 

* * *

 

Everyone splits up the moment they walk through the door: Christo to meditate, which is an eloquent way of saying he’s going to flip things in his room until he doesn’t feel stressed anymore; Seraphina to help Usalia with her homework (Seraphina is actually a great teacher, even Red Magnus finds himself agreeing); and Red Magnus helps Killia put away the groceries.

Then, instead of getting lunch, Red Magnus says, “Let’s fight.”

That can mean two things, either Red Magnus wants to blow off some steam or he just wants to fight. Considering the grocery trip, it could be a little of both and Killia doesn’t have it in him to let Red Magnus sulk through the rest of the day, so he agrees.

But first he needs to engage in his pre-fight ritual. So, even as Red Magnus hovers over his shoulder like an Anubis, Killia eats two bowls of the food Lieze made while they were out, and it was great so he eats another, then he leads Red Magnus to the backyard as far away from Lieze’s garden as they can get.

They stretch their arms, legs, backs, everything, and when they fall into their respective stances Zeroken yells from somewhere above them. He's leaning out the window of the room he shares with Red Magnus and Seraphina yells across the house for him to be quiet.

In the time it takes for Killia and Red Magnus to realise what that grin means, Zeroken jumps out the window and lands beside Killia with his regular flourish.

Seriously, the last time Zeroken did that their neighbours saw. And they screamed. And they called the ambulance, which led to Seraphina and Lieze having to weave all sorts of lies to explain why not a hair on Zeroken’s head was out of place.

(They lied and said he was an acrobat. Maybe it wasn’t exactly a lie, but it’s what they said.)

“You want to join us?” Killia offers more than asks because Zeroken usually yells ‘yes’ before the question is finished, but today he shakes his head.

“No thanks, bro. I think I’ll just watch for today.”

But he couldn’t just watch from his window, which has a perfect view of the backyard and the rest of the town? Really?

There’s a stretch of silence until Red Magnus snorts, “You ate way too much lunch again, didn’t you?” Zeroken stammers, unable to defend himself, and that’s enough of an answer. Red Magnus laughs, teases Zeroken some more, and Zeroken’s reactions only incite him further. Even Killia would tease him at this point.

But the last time Killia did that, he woke up with his hair a bright pink. It was disrespectful, humiliating, and only slightly to his taste. There is very little desire in him to wait for his hair to grow out so he can chop all the dyed bits off, so he keeps quiet for today.

It’s been ten minutes of nonstop bickering between Red Magnus and Zeroken. Killia’s legs are numb from nothing but standing, his will is dwindling and his stomach is starting to cry for his attention.

Surely, Red Magnus is no longer in the mood to spar, but the moment Killia twitches Red Magnus raises his fists and grins. “Sorry about that, Killia. We’re ready now.”

“We?” Killia quirks a brow at the phrase and when he looks at Zeroken he’s got that twinkle in his eye, the one that says he’s the kind of demon that sinks his fangs into any challenge that comes his way. Killia glances between them both; how similar they are, they’re both so different now, yet they’ve barely changed.

Well, that sort of applies to all of them.

When Killia nods, an odd thought occurs: he can count the number of times he’s felt pride on his claws and this moment, this small, insignificant moment on Earth, is certainly one of them.

It only grows when Zeroken strikes first, coordinating with Red Magnus better and better every time they do this, and if they stumble back into the house sweaty and bruised and getting kicked into the shower by everyone else they don’t mind because every session is their best one yet.

 

* * *

 

The moment of truth is upon them. It’s time to see if Seraphina’s ingredients are better than Red Magnus’ in both price and quality. Lieze flits about the kitchen, humming and preparing the utensils while Killia prepares the ingredients. It’s only tense because everyone is quiet and imagining the tension, Killia insists.

There’s still a crowd near the kitchen and Seraphina looks absolutely confident while Lieze and Killia cook. They let Usalia sprinkle spices and stir the pot and she hums a happy tune while Zeroken laughs at Red Magnus’ ‘constipated’ expression and the sweat Seraphina keeps dabbing away with a handkerchief. Did she always have a handkerchief?

Their homemade crowd moves from the kitchen to sit at the dining table and when the food is served everyone’s oddly careful about eating it. Killia thinks the _imagined_ tension is just getting to all of them.

The food tastes great as always, which is the problem.

It still tastes great.

It doesn’t taste different even though Seraphina and Red Magnus insist otherwise. The food tastes the same but Christo still makes changes to the shopping list because Seraphina’s ingredients were much cheaper.

Red Magnus pouts about this for the rest of the night so Killia plays rock-paper-scissors with him and lets Red Magnus win. This leads to them binge watching every Rocky movie ever and falling asleep on the couch halfway through the fourth movie while everyone else goes to sleep like normal demons before Sunday is done.

Killia is supposed to be the Overlord of the most brutal territory in all the Netherworlds, so why does he wake up Monday morning feeling like another day of babysitting has begun?

No. Wait. Shopping, sparring (playing?) with the children (really?), keeping an eye on everyone in between his errands...

“Lieze,” Killia pauses to crack a hen’s egg, so tiny compared to the dragon eggs he so prefers, and when he looks up from the little frying thing Lieze is smiling at him with her eyebrows raised. Right, he’s asking something. “Am I a babysitter?”

“Oh, Killia.” Lieze giggles and pats him on his back, right in between two scaled bumps so he knows she knows he feels it. “You most certainly are.”

Teaching Usalia to cook, separating Seraphina’s and Red Magnus’ squabbles, helping Christo keep is scrambled angel brains together, making sure Lieze doesn’t forget to have her own meals...

No matter how much Killia trails after her and tries to argue his point for the rest of the day, it all comes back to ‘babysitter’ by sunset.

This isn’t the life Killia wanted, and he can certainly do without the new ‘babysitter’ apron Lieze convinced Seraphina to come home with and tie snugly around Killia’s waist, but it’s a better life than he ever dreamed of leading.

But does the apron really need to be tied with such a big bow?


	3. some are born great

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> If Seraphina doesn't keep this household together, no one will. She swears, no one will.

It’s a regular Monday morning at the office when Seraphina arrives; that is to say, the office is its regular ordered chaos and at this point in her career Seraphina fully understands why humans are sent to the Netherworld as Prinnies.

Humans sin and suffer like titans sleep and snore: often and incredibly loudly, with earth-shaking ferocity.

She has her guns tucked into the waistband of her dress pants and it would be so easy to put these miserable humans out of their daily misery, but this job is too stable, pays too well considering the menial tasks (thanks to her True Brionac Gaze? Pshh. Maybe), and it’s too close to their home on Earth for her to be causing any catastrophes.

All the men in the office could be professing their undying love for her before slaughtering each other with stationery and furniture, which would be incredibly easy at any given moment, but Seraphina has infinite patience.

That’s why she settles for pulling one of the many pens holding her hair in a bun and getting started with the day’s paperwork.

Ah, the things she does to provide for her beloved allies. If she weren’t so fond of them she would have made them all her slaves aeons ago—it’s not an exaggeration, she would have pushed them all down to the level of Prinnies were she not such a fair Overlord.

After scanning the room, overcrowded with desks and zombie-like workers and barely functioning technology, she lets herself shudder in disgust and buries herself in her paperwork with renewed focus.

The Netherworld is nothing like this. When she finishes something she feels accomplished and makes progress with her reign, but on Earth? Every accomplishment is incredibly unfulfilling, at least in the office.

The only thought pushing her away from mass murder is the reason she’s doing this. She’s doing this for everyone—Killia _especially_ —were it not for them there would be no force in this universe that could compel her to subject herself to this… mediocrity.

Oh, were it not for her _beloved allies._

 

* * *

 

When Seraphina gets home it takes Usalia five seconds to bound out the living room, run down the corridor, and wrap her arms around Seraphina’s waist after body slamming her with a tight, affectionate hug.

“Welcome home, plip!” Usalia chimes on impact, knocking the air out of Seraphina’s lungs and leaving her offended, but she ruffles Usalia’s hair and snaps her hairband playfully instead of ranting as she would have a year ago.

Human customs are refreshing—Seraphina almost can’t imagine _not_ being greeted with a hug from Usalia after working her boring (well-paying) nine-to-five office job. Of course, if Killia were to welcome her home with a hug Seraphina would be the very last demon to complain, but you can’t win them all. Yet.

One day.

“Did you have a good day? You’re grinning so widely,” Usalia mimics Seraphina’s grin and Seraphina clears her throat.

“My day was horrid, as usual, but now that I’m home there may be some hope yet.” Usalia looks worried but Seraphina laughs so Usalia laughs, too. “How was school?”

Usalia releases Seraphina and jumps backwards, arms outstretched yet she just barely touches the walls on either side of her. “It was great! Christo gave me a _lot_ of homework but I got it all done.”

“All on your own?”

“That’s right,” Usalia salutes and Seraphina chortles. She toes off her shoes and Usalia leads them to the living room, picks up her notebooks and lets Seraphina look through them.

“You’ve improved so much. I must admit even I’m proud of your efforts! I suppose Christo may be a competent teacher after all!”

Usalia beams and takes her notebooks, bouncing off to put them away while Christo huffs, folds one leg over the other, and adjusts his glasses. How dare you, he wants to say, but what comes out is, “You flatter me,” and so Seraphina laughs louder than necessary.

 

* * *

 

If Seraphina doesn’t manage this household then no one will, which will lead to everything falling apart.

Their lives on Earth would be in shambles, over before she could draw her gun. Over before she could woo Killia under the sunset sky of a tropical beach, or maybe she should woo him on a moonlit night near a silver lake? Under a glittering night sky in a beautiful theme park? She’ll decide, eventually, but that’s beside the point.

The only reason the Overlord of Gorgeous should ever have to leave a realm should be due to her getting bored of it, not because they’ve been banished. That’s why Seraphina manages the household.

Granted, Christo does a wonderful job of tying up loose ends, but he gets much too flustered when it comes to everyone for Seraphina to let him deal with it himself. Christo on the battlefield, a calm, calculative strategist, is almost completely different from the Christo at home, a finicky, easily stressed ange—pardon her error, a finicky, easily stressed _demon._

For example, when Zeroken tears through the house, running along every corridor and screaming Metallica at the top of his lungs, Christo tries to reason him out of it. Naturally it fails and results in Christo gripping his head and murmuring to himself—there is no reasoning with Zeroken when he’s ‘in his zone’.

This is where Seraphina comes in, not out of pity, not really, but because if she has to hear Zeroken yell all the lyrics to _Master of Puppets_ one more time she’s going to—

When Zeroken runs into his room on what may be his fifty-seventh lap around the house Seraphina is standing there, gun aimed at the stereo. Zeroken stares at her, horrified.

“You would _never,”_ he dares to say, and she cocks her gun because _oh yes, she would._ He raises his hands in surrender, mouth quivering like he wants to beg her not to do it, not to do anything.

“Quietly,” she says as she tucks her gun back into her garter belt, lowering the stereo’s volume until she can hear herself think. Zeroken nods and leaves it at that volume, limiting his rave party to his and Red Magnus’ room. Seraphina checks on him twenty minutes later to make sure he isn’t sulking or getting any ideas; he isn’t and she flashes him a grin when he glances at her. “Good boy.”

Zeroken shoos her but she only leaves because she has other things to do.

When she checks on Christo she finds him kneeling in prayer and she’s decent enough to spare him the embarrassment of being caught redhanded, of being caught at all, as though it isn’t already common knowledge that he’s an angel.

Still, Seraphina is kind. She is a fair, just Overlord and an excellent head of the house. So just as Christo finishes his prayers Seraphina walks along the corridor from and to his room, knocking loudly on the doorjamb and slowly strutting into the room. Now Christo has a book opened in his lap looking a little frazzled and definitely not devout.

“I got Zeroken to quiet down,” she announces, proud she can keep her amusement secret. “How is your headache?”

Christo clears his throat, “It’s much better now, thank you.” Seraphina glances at the book in Christo’s lap and notes with a little too much glee that it’s upside down. Oh Christo, for all your attempted deceit, you’re the most gullible of us all. “Only you can ever get Zeroken to calm down.”

“It’s called the power of fear,” Seraphina cackles, gracefully ignoring the worry that flits across Christo’s face. “Anyway, take it easy. Just because you’re not human doesn't mean we can’t relax like them, too.” Christo tilts his head, confusion evident, and Seraphina points to the book in his lap. “Preparing for a lesson?”

“That’s right.”

“Make sure to take it easy. You’re the only other demon with a decent paycheck in this house and I’m not ready to give up this Earthling fantasy just yet,” she says, spinning on her heel and waving. She stops, halfway out the door. “Oh, and, Christo?”

“Yes, what is it?”

“I don’t know how you can prepare for a lesson with your book upside down, but I commend you.” She leaves the room with that, slowly, so she can catch a glimpse of Christo flustering and flipping the book right-side up.

Ah Christo, what would he do without them? He truly is too much of an angel to pull off anything else.

 

* * *

 

It’s entirely possible that Lieze would be fantastic at managing the household, except she’s far too lenient with everyone.

Seraphina knows it’s because she is an incredibly kind demon, but sometimes she gets the unnerving suspicion that it’s partly because she just doesn’t care.

She doesn’t care if Killia eats everything in the fridge, she doesn’t care if Zeroken blasts music and jumps through all the windows in the house, and she doesn’t care if Seraphina shoots Red Magnus through a wall while Killia piggybacks Usalia.

“As long as everyone’s enjoying themselves,” is what she tends to say, but half the time she won’t look Seraphina in the eye and Seraphina must confess it strikes a hint of fear in her. This is the only thing that convinces Seraphina that Lieze really is a demon.

Still, Lieze is unnaturally kind. Even when Seraphina was jealously hostile to her at first, Lieze was still patient and honest with her. Seraphina bites her thumbnail as she leans on the windowsill and watches Lieze tend to her plants—beautiful plants, everyone on the block asks her how she does it, and Lieze would laugh and say, “Tender love and care!”

Seraphina doesn’t really know where she stands when it comes to Lieze but she supposes it doesn’t matter as long as they’re on good terms.

It’s getting dark but Lieze seems content to just stand in her garden and watch the flowers close their petals while a few fireflies blink from plant to plant. Red Magnus returns from the next town over and they wave at each other—then Red Magnus notices Seraphina by the window and she dashes from the kitchen into the living room. Totally not smooth.

“Why’d you ignore me?” Red Magnus asks when he gets inside and Seraphina hasn’t thought up an excuse as yet. “That’s cruel, ignoring my super warm greeting!”

“You stink, musclehead.” Seraphina crinkles her nose then pinches it, waving him out of the room. “Go shower if you want any of Sir Killia’s fantastic cooking tonight!”

Red Magnus huffs but leaves anyway because one thing that hasn’t changed despite the countless differences between Earth and the Netherworld is the battlefield their home turns into when it comes to Killia’s (and now Lieze’s) cooking.

It’s… sort of pathetic now that she thinks about it, but she’ll be damned if she ever lets any of these demons rob her of such treasure. Even demons love blessings and that’s exactly what their cooking is: the only blessing any of them can ever hope for.

Is that too much? Seraphina thinks it’s not nearly enough. She would straight up shoot them all out of the house if it became necessary.

Seraphina returns to lingering by the kitchen window and looking at Lieze looking at her garden.

At first she was only here because Usalia wanted to show off how much her cooking skills have improved, and thanks to her tireless efforts she has improved exponentially, then she lingered because she couldn’t help herself from flirting with Killia (one day he’ll give in).

On her way out the kitchen she caught a glimpse of Lieze in the garden and then an hour had gone without Seraphina realising it.

Doesn’t mean anything.

Lieze’s garden is incredibly beautiful, it’s always filled with beautiful things—even now in the dim twilight Seraphina can tell every single thing in the garden is beautiful.

When Killia and Usalia finish setting the table for dinner Seraphina calls her inside because she’s already leaning out the window; Lieze hooks some hair behind her ear and smiles before coming inside.

It occurs to Seraphina that her True Brionac Gaze would never work on Lieze and if the thought leaves her disappointed, it’s a _miniscule_ disappointment and she forgets about it when she goes to war with Zeroken and Red Magnus for the biggest piece of meat on the table.

Monday ends with Seraphina tucking Usalia into bed because Usalia misses the love her parents had for her and Seraphina can never fill those shoes but she can remind Usalia that she is still very much loved.

Everyone helps, even Lieze falls into it easily because it’s easy to love Usalia: she’s a sweet, earnest demon who’s grown, who’s still growing, and made herself capable of caring for her Netherworld despite being a child.

She’s inspiring, so inspiring, and if spending time with her and tucking her into bed at the end of the day is all she asks then who is Seraphina to tell her no?

Monday ends with Usalia asleep while Seraphina cleans her guns and Lieze reads about botany by lamplight. They’re on either side of the bed with Usalia in the middle—at first Seraphina was opposed to sharing the bed because it’s so small but now she hardly thinks twice of it (Earth has ruined her standards).

How can she share a bed with another and know so little about them after all this time? Maybe it’s time for a change; it’s not like she has anything left to lose, Earth already has her working a nine-to-five.

“Lieze,” she says as she steels herself, slipping her guns under the bed and turning to Lieze, “I think it’s about time you tell me a little about yourself. I’ll be returning the favour, of course!”

Seraphina honest to Celestia sputters and it’s so unlike her, possibly because this entire situation is so unlike her even Lieze can’t mask her surprise before Seraphina sees it.

It’s only because Seraphina isn’t in total control of the situation and because she had work today and has work tomorrow and Earth is making her delirious—

“I agree. Actually, I never thought you would be interested,” Lieze says, her voice cutting into Seraphina’s rambling thoughts as she closes her book and rests it on the end table.

Seraphina scoffs and ties her hair into a bun, “Don’t presume to know my interests.”

“Of course,” Lieze smiles, turning to Seraphina and brushing her hand over Usalia’s hair—she’s still asleep. “You can tell me all about your interests—”

“Next time,” Seraphina says and Lieze doesn’t bother hiding her surprise this time, looking as though she assumed this would be a one-off thing.

It won’t. Seraphina is making some changes to their dynamic, but only because Killia would be glad for the two of them to get along, of course. Why else would she do this? For her own sake? Well… who knows. “For tonight, just tell me about you.”

“And Killia?”

“Of—” Seraphina stops herself. That would defeat the purpose of this. Besides, Seraphina can always ask Killia whatever she wants to know, he’s so much more open now. “No. Just you.”

Lieze looks at her, free hand twisting the end of her own tail, then she leans against her pillows and gestures for Seraphina to do the same. “Well… can we start with gardening?”

“We can start with whatever you’d like,” and, really, Seraphina is cringing even before the phrase comes out her mouth. But she’s committed to this. Even with Lieze’s little giggle and the chance Usalia wakes up to witness this… spectacle of Seraphina being _kind_.

“Really, anything at all?” The lamplight is dim and barely catches Lieze’s eyes, but Seraphina can still see them sparkle in awe, or amazement, something, and Seraphina swears it doesn’t mean anything.

“Really.” It doesn’t mean anything, but she’s committed to this. “Anything at all.”

It’s a long night, so long that Seraphina goes to sleep later than her ideal but she’s willing to admit that she doesn’t regret it. At all. Does that mean anything?

(She’s hundreds of years old, she knows damn well what it means. She just isn’t willing to admit it.

And Lieze probably understands that better than Seraphina would like.)


End file.
